Let's simplify things a bit; here's everything you need to know about the Freedom 251.

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Sahil Mohan Gupta

New Delhi

February 17, 2016

UPDATED: February 17, 2016 13:30 IST

At Rs 251, the Freedom 251 isn't just the cheapest Android smartphone in the world, it is a fully functional smartphone on the basis of the information that's there in the public. The phone also comes from a rather unknown brand called Ringing Bells, so where did the phone pop out of? Let's simplify things a bit; here's everything you need to know about the Freedom 251.

- The Freedom 251 will be available through its own website. Pre-bookings for the phone will start on February 18, at 6AM. It will be prudent to wake up early to pre-book the phone. And yes, it is priced at Rs 251 and is the world's cheapest smartphone, by a country mile.

- A report on Tech PP says that the delivery for the phone will be only completed by June 30, 2016.

- The government clearly has provided Ringing Bells a lot of support. This has probably happened for the Make in India initiative. Giving more cadence to this fact is that Defence Minister Manohar Parrikkar will unveil the device at its launch event in New Delhi today. The phone also comes with a bunch of government of India apps preloaded. The most notable one being the Swachch Bharat app.

- The phone runs on Android Lollipop 5.1 and also comes with the Google Play store and WhatsApp preloaded. Software wise, at least according its website, there are no compromises.

- It is relatively powerful and has specifications that are on par with other affordable Android phones. It has a 4-inch IPS display with a 960x540 pixels resolution, an unknown 1.3GHz quad-core processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot and even a 1,450 mAh battery.

- The phone has two cameras. A 3.2-megapixel one on the back and a 0.3-megapixcel one on the front. It's nothing fancy but should get the job done for basic use.

- The phone even supports 3G connectivity, so it will certainly be faster than a bunch of 2G phones that are available in the market.

- The phone will have aftersales. Ringing Bells is offering a 1-year warranty and has set up 650 service centres in the country.

- Ringing Bells has been making phones since 2015. It is based out of Noida. It also makes a 4G phone called the Smart 101. It hasn't popped out of nowhere. Ringing Bells claims on its site that it even has an in-house testing centre in India.

- At Rs 251, this phone could have the potential to be the poster child for PM Modi's Digital India and Make in India campaigns. Going by the features of the phone and the disruptive pricing the phone is likely to make an impact.

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